From Storied.
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Most slang words come and go, but there’s one undisputed king that’s over 100 years old and still as relevant as ever… and that’s cool.
Otherwords is a PBS web series on Storied that digs deep into this quintessential human trait of language and finds the fascinating, thought-provoking, and funny stories behind the words and sounds we take for granted. Incorporating the fields of biology, history, cultural studies, literature, and more, linguistics has something for everyone and offers a unique perspective on what it means to be human.
Host: Erica Brozovsky, Ph.D.
Creator/Director: Andrew Matthews & Katie Graham
Writer: Andrew Matthews
Producer: Katie Graham
Editor/Animation: Dano Johnson
Executive Producer: Amanda Fox
Fact Checker: Yvonne McGreevy
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Assistant Director of Programming for PBS: John Campbell
Stock Images from Shutterstock
Music from APM Music
Otherwords is a production of Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios.
© 2026 PBS. All rights reserved.
sources:
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2014/julyaugust/feature/how-did-cool-become-such-big-deal-0
https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/10/cool-the-etymology-and-history-of-the-concept-of-coolness.html
https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-speech/article-abstract/79/1/59/25215/WE-RE-COOL-MOM-AND-DAD-ARE-SWELL-BASIC-SLANG-AND?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-speech/article-abstract/79/1/59/25215/WE-RE-COOL-MOM-AND-DAD-ARE-SWELL-BASIC-SLANG-AND?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/opinion/why-cool-is-still-cool.html
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2015-23900-001
https://bloggersbeowulf.com/2014/02/#:~:text=the%20more%20effective.-,Back%20To%20Top,his%20knowledge%20of%20the%20situation.
https://archive.org/details/jstor-2918632/page/n1/mode/2up
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cool-stands-test-of-time/
